Journal - My quest to the 80's - (Continued from the WALL 93-96) thread

[Ctp722]

Pretty much every time, it makes it a bit more fun.

Then I go back and play with a co-worker and he is 10-15 strokes behind me, not as fun because I like the competition!

[xburbx]

yea, on an average day we are playing real close.  we both have our real good and real bad days and the competition isnt as fun during those times.  we focus on match play when those days pop up.  we both started about 2 years ago and pretty much play 90% of the time with each other so we know the other guys game real well.

today was really interesting.  really curbing my ego and swinging at the ball real easy has helped a ton.  i play the majority of the round from the fairway which leads to better holes all around.  contact is consistent and direction is predictable.  today was amazing score wise, but there is a big flag on the score.  i ended up playing 6 holes on the front 9 with a couple of guys i caught up to.  they played from the whites so i didnt want to be "the guy" and played from the whites.  then they left on the first 9 and i switched back to the blues.

front (with 6 holes from the whites) - 45

back - 41

i know the total is 86, which is really exciting, but it doesnt count.  i need to shoot like that again tomorrow.

swing easy.

[bplewis24]

What is the yardage/slope from the whites and blues on this course?

Sounds like a good score regardless.

Brandon

[xburbx]

The slope at Hanover from the blues I think is 125.  I am not sure what the whites are.  There is about a 400 yard difference.  They make the most of those up on the par 5's.  The par 4's and 3's are usually within 5-10 yards of each other.  The par 5's can be 100 yard difference depending on the day.  Thats a full stroke.

[Ctp722]

I have to be there to co-sign the card, and vice-versa. Pressure is on today in the heat wave.

[xburbx]

chris and i went out and played today.  i can't believe the day after i shoot an unofficial 86 he shoots an official 89.  fantastic.  the more i play, the more i am liking that wedge shot around the green over the 8 iron.  i like it out of rough and thicker grass.  it is very much a feel shot.  our game is really at a point where contact is not as much of an issue (sometimes it is) but rather getting on the green tight from 150 and in.  thats where we are losing and picking up the most strokes.

ian - 91

chris 89

[Ctp722]

I think I was hitting greens well today which enabled me to snag that elusive 89!

[bplewis24]

Very nice.  First time in the 80s?

Brandon

[Ctp722]

It wa definitely my first time in the 80's.

[bplewis24]

Well, congrats.  Beers are on you.

[inthecup]

Not much to say enjoying the thread.  I am on the same mission and have had solo 9's add up to mid 80's but not a complete 18.  I find that to be unofficial.  I am pretty confident I will bust through and he in the mid 80s regularly.  My driver has a mind of its own at this point and likes to add several strokes a round and make me play from the rough.

[Kieran123]

Congrats on shooting 89!

This is interesting to follow. Amazing how condensed your guys scores are.

[xburbx]

stringing the 9's together is the goal for us.  we shoot low to mid 40's pretty frequently on 9 holes, but it's getting all 18.  i actually don't use a driver because i was sick of missing fairways.  i have found that using my 3 hybrid has allowed me to hit a lot more fairways.  i also realized that with 3 good shots, i am yet to find a par 5 that i can't reach in regulation.  the downside is that i am noticing i will need that driver back once i start approaching low 80's.  most of the time my 3 hybrid is as far or just short of a person hitting a good drive.  the problem is on par 4's where i might be 170 out and a drive would have me at 150.  that's a big enough gap for me to lose the ability to confidently hit a green.  for now, i believe i have gained strokes with fairways hit, but as i feel better and better about my clubs, i will re-add the the driver to get those extra yards.  swinging easy has really put a lot of confidence in the direction of my shots so a driver won't be too hard to get right.....i hope.

[xburbx]

I never really found it strange that we shoot so close in score until a few people mentioned it on these boards.  we started golfing two years ago at the same time so i'm guess that has something to do with it.  we also openly share advice and play almost the same amount so thats probably also a factor.  it keeps rounds interesting

Originally Posted by Kieran123

Congrats on shooting 89!

This is interesting to follow. Amazing how condensed your guys scores are.

[bplewis24]

Originally Posted by xburbx

stringing the 9's together is the goal for us.  we shoot low to mid 40's pretty frequently on 9 holes, but it's getting all 18.  i actually don't use a driver because i was sick of missing fairways.  i have found that using my 3 hybrid has allowed me to hit a lot more fairways.  i also realized that with 3 good shots, i am yet to find a par 5 that i can't reach in regulation.  the downside is that i am noticing i will need that driver back once i start approaching low 80's.  most of the time my 3 hybrid is as far or just short of a person hitting a good drive.  the problem is on par 4's where i might be 170 out and a drive would have me at 150.  that's a big enough gap for me to lose the ability to confidently hit a green.  for now, i believe i have gained strokes with fairways hit, but as i feel better and better about my clubs, i will re-add the the driver to get those extra yards.  swinging easy has really put a lot of confidence in the direction of my shots so a driver won't be too hard to get right.....i hope.

I am starting to get to the point with my swing changes and improvement, that if I put myself in good position off the tee, I will start shooting good scores.  Before, it didn't matter where I was, I would find a way to prevent myself from hitting the green in regulation.  So now I get pretty ticked off when I don't find the fairway with my driver and sometimes find myself taking tentative swings.

Through this I've started to realize how important course management is.  Instead of simply taking the driver out based on distance, I consider how wide the fairway is in the potential landing area and what a normal miss would make the hole look like.  Sometimes it's better to hit an average 3wood but be at an inaccurate iron distance (170 yards) than to put the driver in the fairway bunker or in the water hazard.

Another example of course-management and not properly judging my misses bit me in my last round.  I hit a great 3 wood on a 379-yard par 4 and only had about 135 to the hole.  The only slight problem is the ball was slightly below my feet, but otherwise in perfect position.  In lining up my approach shot, I took my usual aim for the right edge of the green because I hit a slight draw with my irons.  Unfortunately, it didn't draw at all and I probably pushed it a little right.  Big mistake.

If I would have looked at the green & pin location closely, I would have noticed that there was a huge drop-off in slope on the right side of the green, but a large elevated mound on the left side of the green.  So, if you miss left, the ball likely bounces right and onto the green.  If you miss right by even a yard, it bounces hard away from the green and rolls down the slope.  I missed right and had a very tough chip and ended up taking bogey.  If I would have aimed for the hole, I would have taken out the miss to the right, and if I hit it straight it would have gone at the flag, and if it drew a little it would have bounced on the green.

I forget why I'm going on about this so I'll just end it now :)

Brandon

[Ctp722]

Another adjustment I made with my swing was making a more flat-planed (?) swing. I realized I was swinging way to steep with my driver, when I flatenned out my back swing a good bit and it dramatically lowered my flight path, straighter ball, and possibly a bit longer.

FWIW, I found my back swing issue by trying out my co-workers Hank Haney swingfiner tool. It's a pretty cheap device that could be easily homemade, but it made me realize I was breaking my wrists too soon and making a very steep back swing.

[xburbx]

I can say that Chris hit an abnormally high ball with every club until yesterday.  He realized on the Plane Finder that he was coming down too steep.  The result was lower better shots.

In regards to the bplewis, I agree that course management is really important.  I don't like missing fairways but even if I am punching out from a tree, I really am thinking about my next shot and how I want to approach the green.  I noticed that it might cost me a stroke but the hole is still very much in bogey range.  I have topped tee shots 20 feet in front me and turned them into a bogey.  That second shot on a par four is crucial and it's just a matter of how hard I make it on myself and what I can work with.

[anotherday]

So you think that the Plane Finder is actually worth a look? I always feel like Tin Cup when I look at all of those different golf toys.. haha